Portable electronic communication devices are widely used for business and personal activities and are continually increasing in popularity. In particular, technological advances in electronics and wireless communication, as well as the development of communication infrastructure, have greatly expanded the capabilities of wireless communication and lead to the development of a wide variety of portable electronic communication devices such as wireless phones (e.g., cellular phones), two-way radios (e.g., “walkie-talkies”), pagers and text messaging devices, portable and handheld computers (such as those with a wireless LAN card), internet browsers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and satellite communication devices such as global positioning systems (GPSs). These devices typically have one or more antennas for signal reception and transmission.
Typically, portable electronic communication devices have either an internal antenna or an external antenna, and each alternative design has inherent advantages and disadvantages. For example, internal antennas generally impart a better aesthetic appearance to a communication device. Furthermore, compared with external antennas, communication devices having internal antennas are more compact and less cumbersome (e.g., the communication device can easily be placed in a pocket, purse, or other carrier without hindrance from an external antenna). They are also less prone to damage (e.g., the antenna is not susceptible to being broken off).
On the other hand, external antennas, such as ¼-wave or ½-wave antennas, generally perform better than internal antennas. For example, external antennas usually have higher gain than internal antennas. The higher gain of external antennas, which for example can be around 5 dB, translates into increased coverage, particularly in fringe areas (i.e., areas where signal coverage is weaker).
Thus, consumers usually must accept a compromise when choosing between either a portable electronic communication device having an internal antenna or one having an external antenna. Consumers who opt for the convenience and aesthetic appearance of an internal antenna must sacrifice the superior performance of an external antenna, and vice versa.
Moreover, neither antenna configuration is optimal in all circumstances. Thus, although a particular customer may prefer either an external or an internal antenna configuration in most circumstances, that customer may commonly encounter situations in which the alternative antenna configuration is desirable. For example, customers who live in areas having good signal coverage may periodically travel to fringe areas. Such customers may generally prefer to own a portable electronic communication device having an internal antenna, but nonetheless would desire the superior performance of an external antenna for those occasions when in fringe areas.
Furthermore, manufacturers are usually limited to choosing a single design for each product. Because some customers opt for internal antennas whereas other customers opt for more powerful external antennas, manufactures are forced to develop separate products to satisfy the different needs of different customers. The need for separate products leads to manufacturing inefficiencies as well as increased costs to the consumer, among other disadvantages.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.